Franco Ordonez
Appearances
La dinamica
Cose sbagliate, cose giuste - #21
The White House's Office of Personnel Management has told government workers that if they quit by February 6th, they would still get paid through September 30th. Trump told reporters that his goal is to carry out a long-time Republican plan to reduce the size of the government.
La dinamica
Cose sbagliate, cose giuste - #21
The White House bypassed Congress, which is supposed to approve such an offer. Combine that with moves to shut down diversity programs and the USAID website going dark has set off a panic among federal workers, who are uncertain about the future of their jobs. Franco Ordonez, NPR News.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 34: The Passover Instituted (2025)
Good morning, Michelle.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 34: The Passover Instituted (2025)
Yeah, when he got back to the airport in Washington, Trump really tore into the agency, basically charging that it was poorly run.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 34: The Passover Instituted (2025)
No, he did not. And he and his team do want greater control over the department or with the work that they do. They want greater control over the spending, and they feel that too much money is going to causes that are not in U.S. interests. Now, lawmakers are concerned. Democrats have actually warned that Trump cannot just shut down USAID on its own without going through Congress.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 34: The Passover Instituted (2025)
Yeah, he definitely has big intentions here. He says Doge is in the process of specifically shutting down USAID. And he emphasizes that he could not do that without the support of the president. He actually said he went over it with Trump a few times. He asked him, was he sure? You know, I mentioned earlier that Congress was concerned about all this.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 34: The Passover Instituted (2025)
Musk didn't mention any statute or authority that would allow the president to basically skip Congress and shut down the agency unilaterally. That said, Trump does seem to be standing behind Musk, saying that he is doing a great job, while even acknowledging that they might not agree all the time that he's behind him.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 34: The Passover Instituted (2025)
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, Doge, of course, is this department that's tasked with leading substantial cost cutting, you know, and it's not just about shutting down the department. You know, over the weekend, there were reports of two security officials at USAID who were put on administrative leave. for refusing Doge access to certain systems.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 34: The Passover Instituted (2025)
Democrats have accused Doge of inappropriately accessing classified materials, which the lawmakers are saying they're going to investigate. I will note that their spokesman, Doge spokesman Katie Miller, said no classified material was accessed without clearances.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 34: The Passover Instituted (2025)
Michelle, it caps off like such a week of chaos. USAID was not the only website taken down. Some other websites were down temporarily. There is just so much fear and uncertainty across the federal workforce, and it really does look like that's all by design.
The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Day 34: The Passover Instituted (2025)
Thank you, Michelle.
Up First from NPR
Trump Day One, Immigration, January 6 Pardons
Yeah, I mean, I think clearly it's the pardons of those involved in the riots of the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. I mean, he pardoned 1,500 people who were involved, a really big number. I mean, he also signed a series of orders on immigration. He took a big step toward his own stated goal of overhauling the federal government.
Up First from NPR
Trump Day One, Immigration, January 6 Pardons
Doing so, he signed an order reclassifying tens of thousands of career civil servants so that they can be easily replaced with basically loyalists who are more willing to carry out his agenda. I'll just note that's likely to face legal challenges.
Up First from NPR
Trump Day One, Immigration, January 6 Pardons
Well, I mean, on the one hand, it's a full-scale assault on President Biden's legacy. Trump revoked nearly 80 executive actions taken by the Biden administration on issues like climate, energy, and diversity programs. On the other, it's a sign of how Trump plans to expand his presidential powers.
Up First from NPR
Trump Day One, Immigration, January 6 Pardons
I mean, a number of these orders will be challenged in the courts, like you said, but Trump and his team just do not seem to care. I mean, they've made it very clear they're willing to be creative when interpreting and applying these old laws and new ways to fulfill his agenda. It also shows how Trump is willing to get back at people who he feels wronged him.
Up First from NPR
Trump Day One, Immigration, January 6 Pardons
I mean, just as an example, one executive order, there was a measure revoking the security clearance of his former national security advisor, John Bolton. Bolton, of course, wrote a book that Trump was unfit to be president.
Up First from NPR
Trump Day One, Immigration, January 6 Pardons
I mean, it was kind of a mix of domestic and foreign, long list. And as he signed, he actually took questions from reporters who were in the pool in the room about his plans to do in office. I mean, one of them asked when he'll talk to Russian President Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine. Here's what Trump said.
Up First from NPR
Trump Day One, Immigration, January 6 Pardons
So we'll be watching to see when some of these calls with Putin and other foreign leaders start to take place.
Up First from NPR
Trump Day One, Immigration, January 6 Pardons
I mean, he's already busy. You know, he posted on social media this morning that he was removing more than a thousand of Biden administration appointees like celebrity chef Jose Andres and retired General Mark Milley. And my colleague Deidre Walsh confirmed that House Speaker Mike Johnson is planning to come to the White House today. But really, beyond that, we don't know much more.